Perfect for going to work with a smile on your face: the proud police escort assembled for Theodor Heuss – the newly elected president of West Germany – on R 24 bikes in 1949.

Compact, simple and black. The design of the R 24 was perfectly judged for the austere conditions of the late 1940s.

Form follows function. The R 24 was a functionally adept and highly durable machine – both key qualities at a time when many goods were in short supply.

The R 24 ushered in a new beginning, with production reaching the 1,000 mark as early as 1949.

The R 24 ushered in a new beginning, with production reaching the 1,000 mark as early as 1949.

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THE R 24 – AND HOW IT HELPED REVIVE BMW’S FORTUNES.

THE R 24 – AND HOW IT HELPED REVIVE BMW’S FORTUNES.

Perfect for going to work with a smile on your face: the proud police escort assembled for Theodor Heuss – the newly elected president of West Germany – on R 24 bikes in 1949.

BMW was hit hard in the years following the Second World
War. Motorcycle manufacture had been relocated to the Eisenach
plant for capacity reasons during the war, together with most of
the spare parts and machine tools. Once hostilities ended,
however, all these production resources were lost, design drawings
included; the Iron Curtain had descended and, as far as the
Bavarians were concerned, Eisenach might just as well have been on
the moon.

The R 24 replaced the R 23 built up to 1941. In fact, a second-hand R
23 provided the template for new design sketches based on its
measurements (the existing drawings were stored in Eisenach, now well
out of reach in the Soviet zone). With just a single cylinder and a
capacity of 250cc, the newcomer was intended to be a low-cost model –
undoubtedly a wise decision in those tough post-war years, when
everyone had big dreams but small budgets. The currency reform finally
heralded the new deutschmark in the summer of 1948, putting a stop to
the black market and rampant bartering. And so an entire population
embarked on a new life, with a gift of 40 deutschmarks per head to
send them on their way.

Necessity is the mother of…brand-new facilities.

To start manufacturing motorcycles in Munich again, new production
facilities first had to be acquired. And then there were the
reparations imposed by the Americans, which weighed on every decision
taken by plant management. Initially, the occupying forces even
prohibited the production of motorcycles with capacity greater than
250cc. So, although a new and highly attractive motorcycle was
unveiled in 1948, it wasn’t until the following year that production
began in earnest. It was soon progressing at a swift pace, though,
reaching the 1,000 mark by the spring of 1949.

One for all.

BMW had enjoyed a great deal of success with single-cylinder models
before World War II, and there was certainly a market for these small
250cc machines. Though not purveyors of great power, they were
inexpensive and offered excellent everyday practicality. The R 24
generated 12 hp at 5,600 rpm, enough to give it a top speed knocking
on the door of 100 km/h (62 mph). The four-speed gearbox was new;
previously, three gears had to suffice. Wheel guidance at the front
was handled by a modern telescopic fork, while the rear wheel was
unsprung to keep costs down. The bike was, of course, painted in black
and finished with trademark white pinstripes. It had a price tag of
1,750 deutschmarks – a considerable sum of money for the average
employee (200 – 300 deutschmarks was a normal monthly wage at the
time), but far less than the cost of a car. It is also worth
remembering that, due to the ravages of the war, the second-hand
market was virtually non-existent.

The R 24 was superseded by the R 25 in 1950. The principal
distinguishing feature of the new model (besides a series of
relatively minor modifications) was its rear suspension. 12,020 units
of the R 24 were built, as it paved the way for Germany’s economic
miracle. The resultant desire for greater mobility featured
motorcycles front and centre. Today, the simple and robust style of
the R 24 is reminiscent of an era that symbolised a new dawn – and a
boldness of intent since unmatched.